Machine gun



Jan. 9, 1923. 1,441,517

A. MISKUNAS.

MACHINE GUN. FILED Nov. 5, 1921. 4 SHEETS-SHEET I All.

INVENTOR- 'BY to H kuflds 7 W A TTORNEY Jan. 9, 1923. 1,441,517

A. MISKUNAS. MACHINE GUN.

FILED Nov. 5, 1921. 4 SHEETS'SHEET 2 A TTORNE Y Jan. 9, 1923. 1,441,517

A. MISKUNAS. MACHINE GUN. FILED Nov. 5, I92]. 4 SHEETS'SHEET 3 W////// 40 @AG $4 INVENTOR. {5111312 j jiskumzs 7 7 ATTORNEY Jan. 9, 1923.

() G Gc A Ml AS. MACHIN FILED Nov. 5. 21.

3a as 4 SHEETSSHEET 4 Fly 13 IN V EN TOR.

n to Hi. ska/us A TTORNEY Patented JaraQ, 1923. i

.u rrEo STATES ANTON MISKUNAS, OF OGLESIBY, ILLINOIS.

maonnvn GUN.

Application filed November 5, 1921. Serial No. 513,100.

To all wkomjt may concern:

Be it knownthat I, ANTON MISKUNAS, a citizen of Lithuania, residing at Oglesby,

county of La Salle, and State of-Illinois,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machine Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machine guns, particularly guns to be used in the construction of machine gun nests, on ship board or for defensive purposes.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide a machine gun of this character which is capable of being continuously oper ated at its maximum speed without liability of jamming or of beingotherwise rendered inoperative. Q

Another object of the inventionis the provision of a machine gun in Which the operation of the drums feeding the cartridge tape or belt operates the hammer or trigger mechanis The invention more particularly consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of these features as more fully described in the following description and more specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure,

Figure l is a side View of a machine gun constructed according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an end View thereof.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a transverse section on line,

4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail front view of the operating crank wheel and co-operating parts.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view of the trigger and recoil mechanism.

Figure 7 is a section on line 88 of Figure.6.

Figure 8 is a ure 6.

Figure 9 is a section on line 'lOlO of Figure 6.

Figure 10 is a detail side view of the trigger and co-operating mechanism.

Figure 11 is a detail end view illustrating the gear mechanism transferring the motion of the cartridge belt feed to the trigger mechanism. j

Figure 12 is' a detail side view of the car section on line 99 of Fig-- tridge belt feed, partly in section on line 13-13 of Figure 1, and

Figure 13 is a top plan .view of the cartridge tape or belt. I

he gun carriage or frame 10 carries the axles ll and 12 for the wheels 13 and 14, and a pair of grooved base rails 15 and 16to permit the slidin of the gun along a railway or ways. T e side Walls 17 and 18 of' the frame 10 carry at their ends a transverse block 19 provided with a central opening 20 and a lower bar 21. The side walls also carry bearings for theshaft 22 extending through the frame and carrying at its proj ecting' outer ends, gears 23 and 24 which are 27 and 28 journaled in suitable bearings 29 and 30 attached to the lateral faces of the frame 10. In the lower bar 21 is journaled a shaft 31, the outer end of which carries a crank wheel 32, adapted to be rotated by means of a handle 33 to rotate shaft 31.

The rear end of shaft 31 is journaled in frame 10, and the shaft carries near this end a gear wheel 34 in mesh with a gear wheel 35 above the same at the end of a shaft 36 journaled longitudinally in frame 10, and carrying in a recess 37 a'drum or roller 38 being substantially cross-shaped in trans-- verse section and having its outer faces concaved as indicated at 39; and Within recess 37 a shaft 40 is j ournaled with its ends in recesses 41 and 42 of the frame 10 as shown in the frame 10, the shafts 27 and 28 are jour- 4 naled, the outer ends of which are resting in the blocks 29 and 30, and carry the gear 25 and 26 as above described...

Between the blocks 48 and 49, the shafts i 27 and28 carry drums 50 having a crossseotion, similar to the cross-sections of drums. 38 and 45, and over whichi'the cartridge belt or tape is fed in the customary manner.

The trigger or hammer and firing mechanism of the gun comprises the customary firing pin 51 adapted to pass through the end blocks 52 and 53 of a frame arranged Within block 52 and block 53 respectively.

the frame and connected by strong spiral springs 54 resting with their ends against The firing pin 51 is provided with a collar'55 and a small spiral spring 56 is wound around said pin between said collar 55 and r g y 51 projectsbeyond block 52-and termi-.

block 57 provided with 58 mounted block 52; .The outer end of pin nates in a a in its lower edge with which. the teeth 59 of the trigger 60 engage, which is secured to I said mantle, and leaving shaft 22 in approximately its middle part.

To the top of block 57, a block 61 is attached within a recess 62 of the'frame 10 and a spring 63 cushions said block against the lower face of the frame! Y The gun barrel 64 is surrounded by a core or mantle 65 and this mantlein turn is surrounded byai jacket '66 provided with inlet 67' for a cooling medium circulating around the jacket at 68,

- and weight; 69 is provided on topof the barrel.

As illustrated in Figures 13 and 14 the tape or belt carrying the cartridge shells 70,

. the alined ears block 80 as shown in Figure 3 drums 50, while the provided with the customary cartridges 71, iscomposed ofaplurality of sleeves 72. each provided with three laterally disposed perforated ears 73 spaced from each other to receive inthese spaces 74 the. laterally disposed cars 75 while pins or pintles 76 are passed through to, connect the sleeves to form the bel. Each sleeve .72 is further .more provided with a small block 77 secured intermediate its ends to the top part of the sleeve and having bevelled edges 78 adapted to snugly fit against the bevelled edge of the next adjoining block.

- The width of these blocks is so selected,

the side bars 81 extending through the frame 10 near its underside.

Theoperation of the machine gun constructed according to the present invention will be clear from the above description.

The cartridge tape is fed laterally through the gun upon the operation of the crank handle 33 operating drum 38 to feed the cartridge tape over drums 50 and under drum The rotation of the drums 50 will be transmitted to their shafts and the gears 25 and 26 at the ends'of these shafts, which are in mesh with the gears 23 and 24 on the transverse shaft 22 on which also the trig of the next adjoining sleeve ger 60 is locatedwhich operates the block 57 and firing-"pin 51. The operation of the crank will rotate the block 79 and its cam face will cushion the operation. The recoil of the firing operation is taken up by the springs 54. I t It will be clear that changes may be made in the general arrangementand specific construction of the minor details of my invention without deviating from the scope and spirit thereof.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure Letters Patent of the United States is "1. 'A machine gun of the class described cbmprising a frame, a barrel, ,a cartridge feedm means. 011 said frame, means for operating said feeding means, a trigger mechanism, means for transferring the operationof said feeding means to said triggermecha'nism for exploding the cartridges,

means'forcooling said barrel, means for takng up the recoil of i the exploding cartridges andfor compensating the trigger oscillation, and means for protecting sald feed operating means against shocks.

2. Ina machine gun of the class described comprising a frame or carriage, a barrel in said frame, a plurality of drums having grooved jfaces rotatably mounted in said frame'at therear end. of said barrel for guiding a cartridge ta D mg said drums to fee 'said tape, Shafts for the drums vmounted. on said frame, two of said drums laterally disposedto a central drum, said lateral drums operating shafts,

a trigger mechanism, a shaft for said trigger mechanism,'means for connecting said lateral drum shafts with the shaft for said trigger mechanism to operate said trigger member by the operation of said drums, means .for absorbing shocks onsaid drum operating means and means for taking up the recoil of theexploding cartridges and the oscillation of said trigger mechanism.

v 3. In a machine gun of the character described, a trigger mechanism comprising a transverse shaft, gears at the outer ends of said shaft, a trigger on said transverse shaft, having a toothed outer face, a block having a lower toothed edge in mesh with the teeth of said trigger, a firing pin secured to said block, springs for cushioning the recoil of the exploded cartridges and a spring for cushioning the oscillation of the trigger mechanism.

4. In a machine gun of the class described, a frame, a barrel in said frame, a shaft in means for operatsaid frame, a crank wheel on said shaft on 'againstl shocks, substentiell and for the purpose set'forth. I I 5; A machine gun of the character; de-

' {scribed comprising a 'orank shaft,a, drum on said shaft and ino conibination, with the frame'fof the "gun, *grooved' drums ro- -tat'ably arranged within saidi -fra,me, a'belt as I deeerih'edincluding 'a; plurality ofhingedlyeonnected cartridge sleeves, a plurality jof hloekshauw bevelled edges secured on top of said 1 sleeves, .said tape adapted'tobe fed over said grooved drums and to rotate the same upon the operation of said shaft and drum thereon by said crank,

v Intestimony whereof IhaVe aifixed iny 1 signature.

i n ANTON MISKYUNAS. 

